E3 2017 Kicks Off on Saturday With an EA Press Conference

I remember when the big E3 conferences used to be a weekday affair. Last year, EA and Bethesda went on Sunday for their big announcements. EA is opting to get started a day earlier this go around with EA Play kicking off on Saturday (June 10). At 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PT, EA will show off their goods for the rest of 2017. And hopefully a few glimpses at what’s coming in 2018.

What to expect from EA’s E3 2017 press conference

Star Wars Battlefront 2

One of 2015’s visual stunners is back with a new entry. EA and DICE are expected to show off how they are dealing with the criticisms of the first game. A new story tells us how the Empire coped with the loss of their Emperor. We could catch glimpses of how the mighty Empire transformed into the First Order we see in The Force Awakens.

Tackling the post-Emperor galaxy from the Empire’s perspective has me pumped to see more. Add in the fact that it’s Motive handling the story, and I’m even more pumped. We’ll see what the Jade Raymond-led studio can bring to the table.

Criterion Games is also assisting with Battlefront 2 with a focus on ships and vehicles with good controls.

Three developers bringing their strengths to Battlefront 2. On paper, Battlefront 2 sounds like it will be what we all wanted in the first game. EA will give us our first good look at Battlefront 2 tomorrow with The Assault on Theed. Yup, that’s Naboo. N1-Starfighters will take to the skies above the picturesque Theed as Clone Troopers and Droids fight on the ground. One thing’s for certain. Battlefront 2 will look and sound incredible.

Need a racing game with some story? Need for Speed: Payback’s plot is “fueled by a gripping story of betrayal and revenge.” Three characters – Tyler, Mac and Jess, go up against a cartel that controls everything in Fortune Valley. It’s a dose of Fast and Furious tossed in Need for Speed.

EA also promises they are going hard with car customization that lets you “truly craft a personalized and unique ride.” We should get a good idea of how far this customization goes during tomorrow’s conference.

Bring on more quality racing games. Forza Horizon 3 is fantastic. Dirt 4 is great. But Need for Speed (2015) was a miss. Let’s see if Payback can get the franchise back on track.

Sports, sports, sports

Madden, FIFA and NBA Live. I’ve never been a fan of sports games, but look for EA to spend a lot of time talking them up. NBA Live will be the interesting one to watch to see if EA can start whittling away at 2K’s dominance in the space.

Battlefield 1

Look for a gameplay reveal for Battlefield 1’s second expansion, In the Name of the Tsar. We’ll also get some new footage of the Nivelle Nights map coming soon. Battlefront 2 is the big shooter from EA this fall so don’t expect any news on what’s coming next to the Battlefield franchise.

Two unannounced games

EA is promising to show off eight games. The ones we know about only make up six. One of them is rumored to be BioWare’s new IP. A recent Kotaku report about Mass Effect: Andromeda’s woes say the project is codenamed Dylan. That was seemingly confirmed in a tweet from BioWare Edmonton general manager Aaryn Flynn.

Past that, we don’t know much. Here’s how EA CEO Andrew Wilson described it in an earnings call from May.

“We are very pleased with the progress of our new action IP from BioWare,” said Wilson. “The design is stunning, gameplay mechanics are excellent and the action will be exhilarating. The game is built around a live service, and through our creative process, we’ve decided to add more to the disruptive new social designs for our players. To accommodate that, we are moving the launch date for this project into fiscal year ’19.”

‘Live service’ suggests a game with a heavy multiplayer focus with tons of updates. Games like Destiny or The Division immediately come to mind. And it’s no surprise EA would want a piece of that pie. Both games saw huge commercial success.

As for the other unannounced game? I’m hoping for another Star Wars game. EA has also made it a point to show off an indie game at their conference in recent years.

Battlefront 2 is what will get me to tune-in to tomorrow’s conference. But I’m also intrigued by BioWare’s new IP. Will it directly compete with the likes of Destiny, or is BioWare cooking up something new and unique.